Melanie Lynskey

At 16 years of age, 'Melanie Lynskey' (qv) captivated audiences with her astonishing debut in 'Peter Jackson' (qv)'s _Heavenly Creatures (1994)_ (qv). Her portrayal of an outcast teen whose relationship with her best friend ('Kate Winslet' (qv)) spirals dangerously out of control was described as "perfect" by TIME magazine and earned Lynskey a New Zealand Film Award for Best Actress.Following a three-year hiatus spent studying at university and re-locating to Los Angeles, Lynskey made a welcome return to the silver screen when she was cast opposite 'Drew Barrymore' (qv) in _Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)_ (qv). Parts in _Detroit Rock City (1999)_ (qv), _But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)_ (qv), _Coyote Ugly (2000)_ (qv), _Snakeskin (2001)_ (qv), _Abandon (2002)_ (qv), _Sweet Home Alabama (2002)_ (qv), _Shattered Glass (2003)_ (qv), and 'Clint Eastwood' (qv)'s _Flags of Our Fathers (2006)_ (qv) came next.In recent years, Lynskey has emerged as one of the industry's most celebrated character actors, gaining plaudits for her performances in 'Sam Mendes' (qv)'s _Away We Go (2009)_ (qv), 'Jason Reitman' (qv)'s _Up in the Air (2009)_ (qv), 'Steven Soderbergh' (qv)'s _The Informant! (2009)_ (qv), _Win Win (2011)_ (qv), and _The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)_ (qv).Prolific supporting roles - opposite the likes of 'George Clooney' (qv), 'Edward Norton' (qv) and 'Matt Damon' (qv) - aside, headline parts in _Hello I Must Be Going (2012)_ (qv), _Happy Christmas (2014)_ (qv), _The Intervention (2016)_ (qv) - for which she received a Special Jury Award at Sundance - and _I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. (2017)_ (qv) have proved that she is also a dynamite leading lady.On television, Lynskey has worked her scene-stealing magic in a variety of projects, such as the hugely popular _Two and a Half Men (2003)_ (qv), where she appeared for twelve years as Rose; the acclaimed HBO dramedy _Togetherness (2015)_ (qv), for which she earned a Critics' Choice Award nomination; and the psychological horror series _Castle Rock (2018)_ (qv).::Nate